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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. mark — a trace
  13. cell — in biology
  14. pit — a hole
  15. press — to push
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. field — for sport
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. clip — a video
  22. pit — in a race
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com